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Author Topic: Another from Arizona  (Read 2138 times)

CLWest

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Another from Arizona
« on: July 12, 2009, 11:11:27 PM »
Hey All!

Chris from the Gilbert AZ area.  I am a fairly accomplished cook and decided it was time to take on the cheese!  Been futzing with the cheese making for a few weeks -  Mozza and ricotta.  It is way too hot outside to work on my pizza oven at this point.

The biggest issue is the freshness of the milk is what I am seeing.  Hardest thing is that there is a dairy about 1/2 mile from my house.   Time to talk with the dairyman I guess. 

Look forward to conversing with all.
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Cheese Head

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Re: Another from Arizona
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2009, 11:47:19 PM »
Howdy CLWest (Chris) and welcome to this forum!

Outside Pizza Oven sounds great . . . except in Arizona summer!

I make cheese from store bought past & homogenized milk without significant problem. But my only try at moz was a flop. Tha said there are lots who do make it and in our Library Linuxboy has posted a Moz Manual.

Have fun!
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Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Another from Arizona
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2009, 03:17:54 AM »
Hi Chris

Are you making an adobe oven? I would think right about now you could just leave a pan on the sidewalk for a few minutes then add the pizza. I have been toying with the idea of an outdoor woodfired adobe bread oven for awhile but I am having trouble getting the town to approve it.
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CLWest

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Re: Another from Arizona
« Reply #3 on: July 13, 2009, 11:54:05 PM »
Acually it is a brick oven - gets to about 700F - so the insulation should keep it cooled down from the outside ;-)  At 115 today, coolign down is a dream.

I will look at the mozza manual.  My last batch came out rubbery, though tased good enough for the kids.  The ricotta is much better though my yields were terrible.

Back to the drawing board and time to start with some simpler cheeses - queso fresca methinks.

CW
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Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Another from Arizona
« Reply #4 on: July 14, 2009, 02:08:11 AM »
I think you will like the increase in yield from raw milk!
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pamaples

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Re: Another from Arizona
« Reply #5 on: July 14, 2009, 03:35:06 AM »
Hi CLWest,

I use fresh raw goat milk for cheese and make ricotta from the leftover whey. If you are at the same elevation I am here in NM you will have a hard time getting your whey to boil at anything above 209 degrees. It's ok though, I just get it to a boil then let it cool. It's texture is very creamy. I get a pretty good yield but I strain it through very fine cloth.

Debbi, tell the town fathers it is a brick oven. Adobes are bricks. Or better, you could tell them it is an outside fireplace; that sounds better to an uptight city planner than a wood fired anything. Assure them that the fire will be completely surrounded by the fireplace. It only has a small opening which you will dutifully set a screen in front of..... yada, yada, yada... You will love an adobe oven; 30 loaves of bread at once! Almost everyone here in the south part of the city has one in their back yard. The women of the pueblo who bake bread and pies to sell have two and three.
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Ariel301

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Re: Another from Arizona
« Reply #6 on: July 17, 2009, 12:59:39 AM »
Hello, and welcome from a fellow Arizona member. I'm up in the northwest, outside Kingman in Mojave county. I don't know the state too well, only been here a little while. My husband and I have seven acres of desert that we're trying to do something useful with, so we've got a flock of goats and a garden, and will be adding poultry soon. I'm still learning about cheesemaking; most of my attempts as of yet are not so sucessful. At least the milk is cheap and plentiful right outside the back door...

A brick oven sounds like a lot of fun. You'll have to share some pictures when you get it done.
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Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Another from Arizona
« Reply #7 on: July 17, 2009, 03:18:13 AM »
Pam -

I am not allowed to burn anything outdoors unless it is in my smoker or a grill. In fact when I got my first smoker the first half dozen smokes I had the cops to the house on a complaint that I was burning otside. I gave them a rack of ribs or some pulled pork and they went away. A fireplace isn't allowed in town either. I can't wait to retire and get out of here!

Sorry to hyjack your thread CL!
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wharris

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Re: Another from Arizona
« Reply #8 on: July 17, 2009, 01:12:12 PM »
My wife and I love a glass of wine at our firepit in the backyard in the evening. 
I would miss that
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Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Another from Arizona
« Reply #9 on: July 18, 2009, 05:49:02 PM »
They don't even sell those things here in town. That would probably get you a ticket. I live in a section where the hoses are so close I could spit in my neighbors window and I can't spit worth a dang!

I guess it's to protect having the area burn down from stupidity.
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Ariel301

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Re: Another from Arizona
« Reply #10 on: July 21, 2009, 11:23:58 PM »
Wow, that doesn't sound fun at all. I love going out and building a campfire in the yard. I used to live in an apartment complex where we weren't even allowed to have a grill, not even my tiny little camping charcoal grill that holds something like six pieces of charcoal. I'm glad we can have fires now.
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wharris

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Re: Another from Arizona
« Reply #11 on: August 04, 2009, 02:25:03 PM »
Like wine, and cheese, there is something primal about creating a fire and staring at it.
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